Hoppers



April 14, 1959' L. J. VE'ILLEIUX HOPPERS Filed-July 20, 1956 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Lewis J. Yeillgux United States Patent ice HOPPERS .Lewis J. Veilleux, Waterbury, Conn., assiguor to Scovill Manufacturing Company, Waterbury, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application July 20, 1956, Serial No. 599,251

4 Claims. (Cl. 221-468) ments to a feed track. This was a costly and expensive operation in the manufacture of hoppers. Also in the -.tumbling of the elements within the hoppers the corners of the grooves or the projecting pins were subject to an excessive amount of attrition which would wear down the corners of the grooves or high points of the pins to render the hopper ineffective for properly feeding the .elements and thus shorten the life of the hopper. Another difficulty encountered with former machines was the damage to the work being handled caused by the projecting pins or corners adjacent the grooves through which the elements passed.

In general the object of this invention is to provide an improved hopper or feeding means for selecting and delivering elements of the kind referred to in uniform position which will overcome the objections of prior devices of this type. Specifically, one object is to reduce substantially the cost of manufacture of the hopper itself; ;the second object is to provide a hopper wherein the critical parts will not wear so as to render them ineffective;

a third object is to provide a hopper of this class which will not damage the work, and still another object is to provide an improved hopper of this type which will speed up the selected delivery of the elements.

In the drawing showing one preferred embodiment of ,the invention:

"Fig. 1 is a side view of a fastener setting machine having a hopper device embodying my invention attached thereto.

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view ofthe hopper, per se,

i on a larger scale taken along the line 2--2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an end View of the hopper with portions removed'to show interior construction.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged cross sectional view through the angular discharge channel of the hopper showing a fastener element in proper position to pass through the "channel, the view taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 3. i 4 Fig.5 is a similar view showing .a fastener element 1ft improper position to'pass through the discharge channel. "*Fig. 6 is a plan view ofthe inside of the barrel, and

Fig. 7 is a cross sectional-view taken along the line 7 7 .of Fig. 6. 'efe'rring' to "the'diawing for tion of the invention with reference first to Fig. 1, a hopper 10 is shown attached to the frame 11 of a fastener setting machine 12. The machine 12 is provided with the usual setting die 13 and punch 14 operated by a bell-crank lever 15. The fastener elements S are fed from the a more detailed descrip- 2,881,949 Patented Apr. 14,1959

hopper 10 through a feed track 16 to a transfer mechanism 17 that feeds an element in line with the setting punch 14.

The hopper 10 as best shown in Fig. 2 consists of a conical shaped barrel 18 having a closed end 19 con nected to a hub 20 rotatably mounted on a support shaft 21. A pulley 22 is also mounted on shaft 21 and is attached to the closed end 19 of the barrel for driving the latter from any suitable source of power through a belt 23. The open end of the barrel 18 terminates in a radially extending flange 24 having its outer face 25 perpendicular to the axis of said barrel.

The open end of the barrel 18 is closed off by a stationary plate 26 extending across the open end of said barrel and secured to the machine frame 11 by a bracket 27. The plate 26 is formed with an integral hub 28 which projects away from the barrel 18 and is adapted to non-rotatably support the shaft 21. A funnel or auxiliary hopper 29 is mounted on the outer surface of the plate 26 and serves to direct the fastener elements through an opening 30 in said plate into the hopper barrel 18. The funnel 29 may also serve to store an additional supply of elements when the barrel 18 is loaded. The upper open end of the funnel 29 may be closed by a hinging lid 31.

The purpose of this invention is to feed the fastener element when in the right position from the hopper barrel 18 through an angular channel and into the feed track 16 and if the elements are in the wrong position they are carried up into the angular channel to a position where they will drop by gravity back into the barrel as it rotates. For this purpose the plate 26 has an inner face 32 formed with an annular uninterrupted projecting lip 33 extending into the hollow open end of the barrel 18. The inner face is spaced the proper distance from the barrel flange 24 to provide a vertical channel 34 in which the elements S can feed. The lip 33 is formed with an inner conical surface 35 to direct the elements S into the barrel and is formed with an outer cylindrical surface 36 parallel to the barrel axis and spaced the proper distance from the beveled inner surface 18a of the barrel to permit the elements S to enter between the lip and barrel. Between the cylindrical surface 36 and the plate inner surface 32, a connecting beveled surface 37 is provided having a substantially central arcuate groove 38 cut therein. Between the barrel conical surface 18a and the outer face 25 is a chamfered or beveled surface 39 that presents a blunt or obtuse corner 40 substantially opposite the arcuate groove 38. The various surfaces 18a, 25 and 39 of thebarrel and the surfaces 32, 36, 37 and 38 of the plate 26 define an angular channel 41 between said rotatable barrel and said stationary plate through which the elements S can pass into the feed channel 34 when in the proper position as shown in Fig. 4 and cannot pass if they are in the wrong position as shown in Fig. 5.

As pointed out in the statement of invention, the elements S to be hoppered by this machine have a round disc-like base S and a centrally located protuberance or projection S" extending axially from one side thereof. The proper position for allowing element S to pass through the channel 41 is when the projection S" extends upwardly and the base S is sliding downthe conical surface 18a of the barrel 18. When in this position it will be noted from Fig. 4 that the element base S has only a two-point contact with the various surfaces comprising the channel 41, one contact being made with the barrel corner 40 and the other contact being made either with the plate beveled surface 37 or with the plate inner face 32. When the element S is in the reverse position, i.e., with the projection S" extending downwardly, the element will have a three point contact with the surfaces of the angular channel 41. As shown in Fig. 5, the projection S" will slide on the barrel conical surface 181: and one point of the element base S will contact either the lip beveled surface 37 or the groove 38 while an opposite point on the base S will contact the lip cylindrical surface 36 thus establishing the three point contact and preventing the element from passing through channel '41 into the channel 34. It will be noted from the several sectional figures of the drawing that the annular lip 33 on the stationary plate 26 extends into the hollow of the conical barrel 18 a distance substantially equal to the diameter of the base of the hoppered elements. By this relative arrangement of the annular lip 33 to the conical barrel 18, it prevents the tumbling elements in the hopper from interferrin'g with the hoppered elements once they have passed into the angular channel '41.

The elements S that pass through the channel 41 will arrange themselves in the lower portion of the channel 34 as viewed in Fig. 3 and roll about on an inner wall of an annular shoulder 43 projecting from the plate 26 and up to a point where they can drop into the feed track 16. The shoulder 43 circumvents the major portion of the barrel flange 24 and provides a stop for the elements S passing downwardly through the angular channel 41. The shoulder 43 is intercepted by the feed track 16, the latter providing the discharge opening for the hopper. The feed track 16 should intercept the shoulder 43 somewhere beyond the vertical plane of the hopper as viewed in Fig. 3 and preferably about 60 from the vertical plane. This allows for a greater amount of the hoppered elements in proper position to be accumulated in the channel 34 ready to be discharged upon reaching the feed track 16. The barrel 18 is furnished with a pair of pick-up fingers 42 diametrically positioned and attached to the barrel fiangs 24. The fingers 42 are of angular shape so as to conform to the shape of the angular channel 41 and as the barrel rotates the elements S disposed in the lower section of the channel 34 will be carried up to a wider portion 34a of the channel 34 which also may be referred to as an overflow channel, said wider portion 34a starting at the point where the feed track intercepts the shoulder 43. The overflow channel 341': is defined 'by an insert arcuate channel bar 44 secured to the plate 26. If the amount of properly arranged elements received into the overflow channel 34a is greater than can be withdrawn through the feed track 16, they will load up in the channel 34a and be carried around to a point where they will be cammed back in the vertical channel 34 as by a cam groove 34b provided in plate 26 and formed as an extension of the overflow channel 34a. The elements that are wrongly arranged in the channel 41 will be carried around by the pick-up fingers 42 to the upper part of the hopper where they can readily drop back into the barrel and rearrange themselves so as to be fed into channel 41. Two or more ribs 45 are formed on the conical surface 18a of the barrel 18 to agitate the elements S in said barrel as the latter is rotated.

From the construction of this hopper it will be appreciated that there are no sharp corners or projections that can mutilate the elements in hoppering them and that the speed in which the elements can be properly oriented and fed to a setting machine will be considerably greater than the old hoppers wherein the elements had to pass through individual channels or over or about projecting pins.

I "claim:

1. A hopper for feeding elements having a round disclike base and a centrally located protuberance extending axially from one side thereof, said hopper comprising a barrel of generally conical shape open at its larger end, said barrel having a radially extending flange with its 4 outer face perpendicular to the axis of the barrel, a substantially horizontal shaft extending axially through said barrel and on which the barrel is rotatably supported, a stationary plate extending 'across the open end of the barrel in spaced relationship to said barrel flange to provide a vertical channel therebetween, said plate having a shoulder surrounding the periphery of the barrel flange, a feed track intercepting said shoulder, said plate inwardly of said flange having an annular uninterrupted lip projecting into and in spaced relationship to the conical inner surface of said barrel, the space between adjacent surfaces of said stationary plate with its annular lip and the hopper flange providing an angular channel of a character to permit the elements to freely pass therethrough into said vertical channel only when the disc-like base of said elements are resting and sliding downwardly on the conical inner surface of said barrel, said annular lip extending into said conical barrel a distance substantially equal to the diameter of the base of said feed elements whereby the tumbled elements in the barrel will not inter- 'fere with the elements passed into said angular channel.

2. A hopper as defined in claim '1 wherein the feed track is spaced '2. sufficient distance from the vertical plane of the hopper to allow several of the properly hoppered elements to be disposed in said vertical channel before reaching said track.

3. A hopper for feeding elements having a round discl-ike base and a centrally located protuberance extending axially from one side thereof, said hopper comprising a barrel of generally conical shape open at its larger end, said barrel having a radially extending flange with its outer surface perpendicular to the axis of the barrel, a chamfer provided between the conical inner surface of said barrel and inner surface of said flange providing a blunt or obtuse corner at its connecting surface with said conical inner surf-ace, a substantially horizontal shaft ex tending axially through said barrel and on which the barrel is rotatably supported, a stationary plate extending across the open end of said barrel in spaced relationship to said barrel flange to provide a vertical channel therebetween, said plate having an annular uninterrupted lip projecting into and in spaced relationship to the conical inner surface of said barrel, said annular lip extending into said conical barrel a distance substantially equal to the diameter of the base of said feed elements whereby the tumbling elements in the barrel will not interfere with the elements passed into said vertical channel, a beveled surface on said lip opposite said blunt corner to permit the passage of said elements therethrough into said vertical channel 'when in one position and to prevent their passage therethrough when in an opposite position, said plate having an annular shoulder surrounding the periphery of the barrel flange serving as a support for the elements passed into said vertical channel, and a feed track intercepting said annular shoulder for receiving the hoppered elements in said vertical channel.

4. A hopper as defined in claim 3 wherein the beveled surface of said lip is formed with an intermediate circumferential arcu'ate groove.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 732,987 Woodland July 7, 1903 1,106,222 Johnson Aug. 4, 1914 1,106,590 Strebel Aug. 11, 1914 1,562,599 Suiter Nov. 24, 1925 2,656,807 Johnson et a1. Oct. 22, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 585,662 Germany Oct. 6, 1933 

